The city of Medellín in Colombia, was once the ‘murder capital of the world’ and home to notorious drug cartel leader Pablo Escobar. The Netflix series Narcos generated a Hollywood spotlight onto this important piece of Colombia’s past to an international viewership....

I learned very quickly on arriving in Medellín – day two, in fact – that Paisas generally do not like the name Pablo Escobar to be spoken. And many of them get angry when they hear foreigners want to go on a Pablo Escobar Tour. Many don’t like the idea of tour...

The city of Medellín continues to amaze me every day. I recently went on a Comuna 13 graffiti tour. And I found Comuna 13 to be community that has been transformed through improved accessibility, investment, street art and community solidarity. Note the above photo is...

Clockwise from top left: Floating above the city in a gondola, Fernando Botero donated sculptures to the city, paragliding, the Biblioteca España, cleaning a metro station and visiting the grave of Pablo Escobar. IF Medellín is still a city that puts its visitors on...

The performances in Netflix’s Narcos are compelling and buzzed-about, but even the actors concede that the true star of the series is the country of Colombia. “If we weren’t doing the show here, I have no doubt it wouldn’t be as good,” says Pedro Pascal, who plays DEA...

Mention Medellin to some people and you will see a look of fear on their face. They may tell you it’s too dangerous and not safe for tourists. Well let us set the record straight. These people have been watching too much Narcos and need to get with the times....

Here is a guide, in wich we have highlighted what to see, taste and experience with just 48 hours in Medellin, Colombia. Enjoy! Day1: “People want to know what happened in Medellin, how is Medellin right now,” says Clemencia Botero Fernandez, director of tourism of...

It’s not just another tour, it’s a once in a lifetime experience with Carlos the excop Medellin City Services does not put Pablo or the local justice on a pedestal, we just provide a neutral point of view and customer makes his own conclusions. One thing for sure...

Brightly coloured graffiti rippled along the walls. Crowds of children played in the dappled sunlight threading it’s way through the streets. The shiny metal escalator loomed above me, leading upwards and into the slums of Medellin, a former war-zone. Just a decade...

For all my time in Medellín, there’s still so much I’ve yet to see and discover. I was reminded of this fact during a recent half-day city tour with Camilo Uribe, founder of Medellín City Services. Camilo is a paisa who studied and lived in the United States, before...

Joining Camilo Uribe of Medellín City Tours on a food tour of Envigado and Sabaneta felt a little like being on an episode of Anthony Bourdain’s No Reservations. We ate well, we drank well, we had a lot of laughs and a great night discovering small restaurants...

Without fail, the first two things everyone asks when you go to Colombia is about blow and Pablo Escobar. Blow and Pablo are twin evils that make up a good portion of Colombia’s modern history. The legacy of this less-than-dynamic duo is particularly felt in the...

The two hour drive from Medellín to Jardín was never monotonous. The road snakes along on mountains cliffs and every moment there is a new view of the valley or the irregular face of a faraway mountain. The Colombian sky is so big and the land so varied my view only...

I first met Don Aristides, known colloquially as the “Juan Valdez of the silleteros” in 2013 during a blog trip to Santa Elena. We were there to learn about the beautiful region, a mere 30 minutes east of Medellín, that gave birth to the flower-arranging tradition in...

As we ambled along the highway on our way out of Medellín, heading west toward the town of Santa Fe de Antioquia, my amigable guide, Camilo, asked if I’d be interested in making a coffee stop. I’d never been on a private tour before and was feeling pretty special in...

Plata o Plomo? We were so sure we wanted to take the Pablo Escobar tour since Narcos TV-series has been in hype, but being in Colombia has taught us that the locals despised him and they do not want to re-live those days. They recall how Pablo Escobar had created a...

The Cult of Pablo Escobar Two decades after the death of notorious drug baron Pablo Escobar in 1993, he still looms large in the Colombian psyche. In some quarters, there is an ambivalence towards this ruthless killer, an admiration forthe man who made an estimated US...

Colombian narco trafficker Pablo Emilio Escobar Gaviria was a terrorist and a mass murderer at the head of the Medellin Cartel, the largest and most devastating criminal empire in the world during the 1980s and 1990s. Escobar murdered thousands, made billions,...

Knowing that the locals in Colombia hated Pablo Escobar made us doubt if we wanted to go on the Pablo Escobar tour. But we were too curious so we did and we were honoured to have a guide who lived those days as a Police Commander. Now an ex-police commander and victim...

Standing high up in the mountains, in humid chilly air, surrounded by vibrant colours, and the small of fresh flours, I found myself in what I now describe as heaven’s garden. Being in Medellin on the first week of August, during the flower festival piqued my...

Plata o Plomo? We were so sure we wanted to take the Pablo Escobar tour since Narcos TV-series has been in hype, but being in Colombia has taught us that the locals despised him and they do not want to re-live those days. They recall how Pablo Escobar had created a...

The city’s situation — set in the Aburrá Valley, surrounded by green mountains — is ideal, its weather springlike year-round, and its people outgoing and proud of their city. Friday 1. 3 P.M.| Memories Get a sense of how far Medellín has come with a visit to the...

Paris hosted this year’s BID International Star for Leadership in Quality Convention, where professionals and business leaders from around the world gathered to recognize excellence and success. In particular, the convention celebrated quality in business and...

Vea aquí fotos de lo de sucedió detrás de cámara durante la entrevista con Luz María Escobar, hermana de Pablo Escobar. Showing guests around the second largest city in Colombia, we enjoyed that Medellin City Services does not have prearranged group tours where you...

For every tour sold during 2015, Medellin City Services® Foundation has saved one dollar, the same that goes into a social project at comuna 13. All the savings during year 2015 were destined to this fantastic project which took 5 weeks for completion. After years of...